Reality

Reality

As a pastor, one of my jobs is to help people live in reality. I know that sounds weird, but it is the truth. There is something about church life that periodically wants to take a person out of real life situations and place him/her in a fog of unreality. Whether it’s relational issues like marriage, family crisis, work related tensions or just plain living, the good news of the Gospel gets warped into bad news.

I know for myself the harsh reality of leaving the rarified atmosphere of academic life and wading into the disarray of real life. The idealism I was taught needed to be tempered by real life experiences. I learned that it takes time, patience and humility to live in the tension of the real and the ideal.

I have been blessed to have mentors help me along the way. Without their wisdom and encouragement, I would have long ago tossed in the towel and given up. When guilt and shame want to consume my life, I need to grab hold of truth which leads me back to the reality of God’s love and care for me.

In my office I have hanging on the wall a framed quotation from Derek Prince, a well know Bible teacher who has now gone home to be with the Lord. I share it with you hoping that these words will give you a healthy perspective to a balanced life.

 There are two things: the actual and the ideal.

 To be mature is to see the ideal and to live with the actual.

 To fail is to accept the actual and reject the ideal;

 And to accept only that which is ideal and refuse

 The actual is to be immature.

 Do not criticize the actual because you have seen the ideal;

 Do not reject the ideal because you see the actual.

 Maturity is to live with the actual but hold on to the ideal.